The Shifter and the Dreamer (7 page)

She sagged against the wall. “That was…intense,” she finally said.

“Yeah,” he agreed. He rested his hand against the wall above her head.

Katy looked up at Cameron as they tried to calm their beating hearts. He waited for the regret to sink in and for it to show in her eyes. When it didn’t come immediately, he relaxed.

She gazed up into his eyes with a look of concentration, her lip between her teeth.

“Hey,” Cameron said, running his fingers over her cheek. “No thinking.”

She smiled. And he was transported back to almost a year ago, when after a long day they would collapse in each other’s arms.
When all was right in the world.
When he could love her.

It would pass, he knew that. While right now she was still feeling mushy from their lovemaking, once her brain reconnected she would try to build that wall between them again. This time Cameron wouldn’t let her.

“I’m surprised we didn’t wake
Allysa
,” Katy told him and pushed away from the wall.

“
Allysa’s
here?” Cameron asked and grabbed his jeans. Shit, he hadn’t even thought about that. As much as he liked Katy’s sister, he didn’t want a witness to their intimate connection.

Katy
giggled,
a sound he rarely heard. “She does live here. Luckily she took a sleeping pill before bed and nothing could wake her.” She collected her own clothes and grabbed his hand. “But just in case, maybe we should move this to the bedroom.”

Cameron grinned.
“Bed?
I can do lots of things in a bed.”

She laughed and pulled him towards her room. “Yes, I know.”

The annoying sound of the alarm chirped loudly from the side of the bed. Katy reached over and smacked the aggravating thing several times before it stopped.

She groaned and buried her face back into the pillow.

The pillow that was moving under her cheek.

“I forgot how much you hate the morning,” Cameron told her with heavy amusement in his voice.

“
Shh
…pillows don’t talk,” she complained.

“Do pillows do this?” he asked right before firm hands grabbed her hips and pulled her on top of him.

“No,” she mumbled and pressed her face against his chest. “Now please be quiet so we can get some more sleep.”

“Your alarm went off,” he reminded her.

“Uh huh,” she agreed.

“Usually that means it’s time to get up,” he replied.

“Five more minutes,” she whined.

“Well, we could sleep for five more minutes or we could…” he trailed off and let his fingers speak for him.

Oh, she liked that. He used his thumb to manipulate her clit. She rubbed her breasts against his chest. “You think you can get me off in five minutes?” she teased but really was it such a big deal if they were late?

Cameron laughed and rolled her under him. “We’ll shower together and save even more time.”

Her laugh was cut off into a moan when he dropped his head and started to lick one nipple. His fingers teased her folds before they found her needy pussy.

He tongued one breast then the other while his fingers played. He pushed two long digits into her cunt and started to pump his hand in and out. Katy rode his hand while his mouth travelled lower.

“Please, Cameron…” He felt so good…she would beg.

“What? What do you want?” he asked, his fingers moving faster.

“Fuck me, please fuck me.”

Cameron sucked the flesh of her stomach and raised a mark. “You want me?”

“Yes,” she told him and spread her legs further.

Cameron moved up her body quickly. Katy grabbed his hips and pushed up.

“Then you have me,” he told her and slid inside.

Katy lifted her hips to accept him. His cock, hard and long, filled her completely. He pulled out slowly and even her body tried to hold him inside.

Inside her body where he belonged.

She knew it. Cameron was her one and only, but he would be gone soon. He would return to his normal life and she would go on getting through hers as best she could.

Overcome with emotion, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

He moved inside her deeply and steadily, each stroke harder than the last. This was what she wanted, him to take her over, to belong again somewhere if just for a moment.

“Harder,” she demanded. “Take me.”

Cameron sped up each thrust. Her arms fell from around his shoulders and she reached back to grab the headboard.

“That’s it, Cam. Pound me. Fuck me,” she encouraged.

He threw his head back and rode her hard. The entire bed shook. Her body was covered with sweat. She could smell him all around her. Together, they were one.

He scooted closer on his knees, pulling her legs up over his shoulders. She bent in a way that should have hurt but felt remarkable when he plunged deeper than before.

Her clit tingled, her mind went blank, and distantly she heard her own scream and she
orgasmed
once, twice, before his warm seed filled her.

“Love.”
The word slipped out in a whisper.

Cameron watched Katy carefully as they dressed after a shared shower. He was waiting for her to come up with an excuse why they shouldn’t have done what they did last night, or this morning in bed, or a few minutes ago in the shower.

“Cameron,” she called as she finished tying her boots.

“Yes,” he answered and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t going to let her push him away.

“There is a good chance that
Allysa
is going to be up,” she told him quietly.

“Okay.”

She yanked on her ponytail. “Just let me handle this.”

He wasn’t sure if he could. If she said something stupid to her sister about them, he might be tempted to bend her over his knee and spank her ass. Hell, he was tempted to do it anyway. “We’ll see,” he said instead.

She narrowed her eyes but he just placed a gentle kiss on her lips and headed to the kitchen.

Allysa
was, in fact, in the kitchen when they walked in. She hid her smile behind a cup of coffee but Cameron still saw it.

“Good morning,” he greeted as he moved to the coffee pot.

“Morning, handsome,”
Allysa
responded.

Katy was right behind him but she didn’t comment.

“How are you feeling?” Katy asked her sister instead.

“I’m good…headache’s gone,”
Allysa
answered.

“That’s good.” Katy accepted the cup Cameron handed her. “Maybe you should stay home today.”

Cameron didn’t miss the look that
Allysa
sent to her sister. It was one of worry.

“Maybe you should,”
Allysa
responded.

“
Allysa
, don’t,” Katy warned.

“Did you tell him?”
Allysa
asked her then looked over at him. “I bet she didn’t.”

“Tell me what?” Cameron asked. This wasn’t the same friendly woman from the day before. No,
Allysa
was scared about something. Cameron felt his gut tighten. “Tell me what?” he asked again.

“Don’t,” Katy snapped.

Cameron ignored her.
“
Allysa
?”

The young woman sighed and shook her head.
“Nothing.”

Cameron looked between the two of them. The tension that had previously left Katy was back. He could see it in the set of her shoulders and the frown on her face.

But they had been okay earlier. He had to remember that and trust that Katy would tell him. He knew if it had anything to do with the case, Katy would work it in. Only if it was personal would she bury it.

But he’d broken through last night.
 
It would take time, but he was certain if he was patient, Katy would find her way back to him. He finished his coffee and set the cup on the table. “I have to go pick up Ryan. We’ll meet you at the station to discuss the new information about the case.”

Neither woman responded, just stared at one another.

He rubbed his hands roughly over his face. He was going to get to the bottom of their secrets, he promised himself.

He kissed the top of Katy’s head and headed out. He glanced over his shoulder once but the two women still only continued to stare at each other.

Katy didn’t know what to do.
Allysa
had come close to telling Cameron about her vision. No matter how much Katy argued with her,
Allysa
felt it was better if he knew.

Katy didn’t agree. They had been able to keep their gifts from almost everyone and now
Allysa
wanted to start telling strangers. Well, not strangers really. Cameron knew them, sort of. But if Katy were to tell him about her dreams, her sister’s visions, Cameron would laugh it off. Everyone did. She would lose him.

Damn! She had already lost him. But there was no way she could live knowing he thought she was the freak everyone who did know called her.

It was better to just let Cameron believe she didn’t want him than to admit the only thing that scared her.
Admitting the truth.

But she hadn’t been doing a very good job of making Cameron think she didn’t want him either.

Everything was so messed up…so confusing.
The case, her and
Allysa
, Cameron.
Her life was spiralling out of control.

Her mood didn’t improve when she saw Clint standing outside the station door.

He stepped away from the building and threw his cigarette butt onto the ground.

“That’s littering,” she snapped at him.

He pulled his sunglasses down so she could see his eyes. “Then why don’t you arrest me? Maybe you’ll have to do a strip search.”

She almost smiled.
Had to bite her lips to keep it from showing.
Out of all her feelings about Clint, she could admit he still charmed her.

She took a closer look. He was still just as good-looking as ever. But even with his looks and cocky attitude, he was a good guy. She should still be in love with him. He knew all about her and her family but still hung around. But she didn’t love him. Or at least not in the way he wanted. She had never loved him the way she had Cameron.

“What’s up, Clint?” she asked with a lighter tone.

“Was in town and wanted to see you,” he told her without his usual arrogance.

“Clint…”

“We’ve been friends a long time.
A very long time.
I’m only here another week. I want to have dinner with you,” he interrupted.

“I can’t…”

“Just dinner,” he said again. His hand caught her chin, and she looked up. “I know there is something up with the Fed. I won’t screw that up.
Dinner.”

She should have said no. She should have told him she wouldn’t see him before he left. But he had been a good friend.
Before.
Before his father had demanded he never see her again.
Before he had taken off to
Colorado
, leaving her alone and hurting.
But that was a long time ago. She’d forgiven him—had almost forgotten the things he’d said to drive her away from him. It had been for the best, he’d said. Really, he had been right.

 
“Dinner,” she conceded.

He smiled just as the sound of two doors slammed behind her.

Katy turned and saw that Cameron and Ryan had arrived. Cameron’s mirrored sunglasses covered his eyes but there was no mistaking the set of his jaw. He started towards them just as Davis came out the door.

“We got a break, Sheriff! I think we found his motel.”

Chapter Eight

The motel was forty-five miles from Greenwood on I-20. It was a rundown, cheap room without much fuss. But it was the killer’s room, Katy was sure of it.

He had left them pictures.
Two pictures of Amanda Caldwell.
One alive, and one after she was killed.
The difference between the two was horrible. He had enjoyed torturing the young woman.

“Why’d he leave these?” Ryan asked from the other side of the room.

“He’s playing with us,” Cameron commented from his place on the floor. He was checking under the bed. So far, other than the pictures, there was no sign of the killer. The room was wiped clean.
Cleaner probably than when the killer had checked in.

“Why now? Why here?” Katy asked. “This doesn’t make sense.”

Cameron caught her eye.
“Why you?”

Katy froze. Ryan snapped his gaze to him and Davis stopped walking through the room.

Cameron stood and walked to her. He stopped right in front of her. “I’ve been racking my brain wondering why he came here. It’s you. Or it’s me, but then that would still come back to you.
Why you?”

So he’d figured it out.
Allysa
hadn’t needed to say anything after all. Now she had to come up with a good reason while leaving
Allysa
out of it.

“How can he get to the lead agent? Pull him out of his element. You said you were close in Dallas,” Katy offered.

“You’ve already thought about this,” he accused.

“It crossed my mind,” she answered with a half-truth. “If he wanted you, it would be easy to go after your old partner.”

“Or my lover,” Cameron finished.

Ryan and Davis didn’t say anything or even move. If they hadn’t known anything about their relationship, they did now.

“It makes more sense that while you were after him he looked into you. We had some pretty high profile cases.
The last one especially.
Just a picture of us when we were a team could have led him here to me,” she commented. That made more sense. No one had known they were lovers. But finding out they had been partners would have been easy.

“
Allysa
…” he whispered as his eyes lit up.

Katy jerked back at the name of her sister. It gave it away but now it was too late.

“Don’t…” she begged. She couldn’t go through it right now, not in front of other people.